Cave Beetles
Cave Beetles are a group of dangerous enemies in Phoenotopia and Phoenotopia Awakening. They're only seen in Mul Cavern, and they can be very difficult to fight because of their sheer aggressiveness, their ability to constantly pursue Gale because of their high mobility, and their habit of attacking in large numbers, plus the fact that you often have to fight them in close quarters since Mul Cavern is full of narrow sections. Phoenotopia Awakening's iterations of these enemies are more toned down, though, as some of them are passive and won't even attack Gale unless she attacks first. Phoenotopia In Phoenotopia, there are three types of Cave Beetles, and they're all relatively identical aside from their color schemes and what they do when killed. All Cave Beetles are able to bite, jump, fly, and swim, making them very versatile foes. It's also worth noting that the Cave Beetles' bites can hurt Gale from a distance because of the force in their bites. They were supposed to be able to climb walls as well, but the developer didn't have the time or skills to implement that behavior when he was working on Phoenotopia. Their pattern is always the same when they are chasing Gale. The Yellow Beetles do nothing when killed, but Purple Beetles explode when they die, and Green Beetles leave behind pools of acid once they're killed. The Purple Beetles will also explode if Gale runs into them. All beetles have low health and medium damage; their main strength comes from numbers. Beetles are too small to be hit by a Javelin thrown on the same level as them. Although some Cave Beetles can be seen idling around the level, most are spawned from Beetle Nests found throughout the caverns. The nests usually contain anywhere from 3 to 5 Cave Beetles, but you can destroy a nest and all the Beetles inside using either a Bomb or a charged Javelin. Hitting a nest while it still contains Beetles will cause a Beetle to emerge from it and pursue Gale. If Gale destroys a nest and then leaves and reenters a room, all the Beetles spawned by the nest will have vanished; similarly, killing Beetles without destroying the nest will make them respawn once Gale comes back. Nests may hide secret passages. Cave Beetles may drop 1~3 Rai and/or a Heart when killed. Phoenotopia Awakening Phoenotopia Awakening brings in a new set of Cave Beetles with different behaviors that are more varied and slightly less aggressive overall. These Cave Beetles aren't able to fly (aside from the flying Aviads), but they can climb on walls and ceilings. It's unknown whether or not these beetles can also swim like their predecessors were able to. The first (and most common) type, the Miniad, is a non-aggressive enemy and will only bite Gale in self-defense. The second type, the Thorniad, is much more hostile; it will leap at Gale and actively try to bite her. The third variant, the Toxiad, will keep its distance from Gale and try to climb high above her so it can spit poison at her. The fourth species, the Blastiad, carries volatile chemicals in its body and will chase after Gale for a few seconds before exploding. The fifth variety, the Aviad, resembles a mosquito and will dart at Gale in an attempt to stab her with its spear-like proboscis. Addiditonally, the Beetles also have a leader in this game, a giant beetle queen named Ariadne. It is unknown if the Beetle Nests will return in this game. Etymology All the Beetles' names in this game are derivatives of their queen Ariadne's name. Ariadne herself is named after the Greek figure Ariadne, daughter of King Minos, and all her children are aptly named with an "-iad" suffix, which not only relates to the name Ariadne but is also based on the word myriad, which greatly describes the diverse nature of these enemies: * Miniad = Minion + iad * Thorniad = Thorn + iad * Toxiad = Toxic + iad * Blastiad = Blast + iad * Aviad = Aviate + iad Trivia * In Phoenotopia, all three Cave Beetle varieties use the same base graphic, which is colored gray. Each type of Cave Beetle is tinted by code to take on a different color. Category:Phoenotopia Category:Phoenotopia Awakening Category:Enemies Category:Animals